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Disclaimer:'MS Views and News' DOES NOT endorse any products or services found on this blog. It is up to you to seek advice from your healthcare provider. The intent of this blog is to provide information on various medical conditions, medications, treatments, for your personal knowledge and to keep you informed of current health-related issues. It is not a substitute for the advice of your physician. Should you or your family members have any specific medical problem, seek medical care promptly.

Saturday, September 29, 2012

As we
prepare to move into National Physical Therapy Month, it is a good time review
how physical therapy can help someone with MS. As many have experienced, the
symptoms of MS can affect your ability to move around. You may be experiencing
tightness, pain, and weakness, especially in the muscles and joints. This is
where physical therapy may help. An article in WebMD explains:

Physical
therapy cannot cure the primary symptoms of MS (such as weakness, tremors,
tingling, numbness, loss of balance, vision impairment, paralysis, and bladder
or bowel dysfunction), but therapy can enable you to compensate for the changes
brought about by MS. These "compensatory treatments," as they're
called, include learning about new movement techniques, strategies, and equipment.

Physical
therapy can also be very helpful at lessening secondary symptoms of MS. A
physical therapist can teach you exercises to strengthen and loosen muscles.
Many of these exercises can be performed at home. The goal of physical therapy
is to improve your independence and quality of life by improving movement and
function and relieving pain.

Many
hospitals offer outpatient physical therapy services. However, you may need to
get a doctor's order to be seen in physical therapy. If you feel you can
benefit from physical therapy, ask your doctor for a referral.

Treatments
in physical therapy often can be completed in one to three office visits. The
first appointment includes an evaluation and recommendations for exercises. The
following appointments check your progress and review and expand your home
program.

Most
hospitals can provide additional sessions of outpatient physical therapy if a
physical therapist is needed to attain an expected improvement in function.

The Medicare
annual enrollment period begins Oct. 15th and runs through Dec. 7th. During
this time, all Medicare beneficiaries have the option to change their Medicare
coverage for the coming year. This includes anyone using traditional Medicare,
Medicare Advantage, and prescription drug coverage. In addition to reviewing
Medicare plan changes, beneficiaries should make sure they are taking advantage
of savings provided through the Affordable Care Act (ACA) this year.

“Take time
to review the information you receive and look at all of your Medicare
options,” says Mary Dale Walters, senior vice president of Allsup and the Allsup Medicare Advisor®,
a Medicare plan selection service for Medicare-eligible individuals.
“You may find more affordable coverage through a different combination of plans
–whether Medicare Advantage or traditional Medicare with Part D and Medigap
plans. Keep in mind that you may see a lot of ads for Medicare plans, but there
could be a plan that’s perfect for you that isn’t getting a lot of attention
with ads and mailers.”

Gene transcription patterns separate multiple sclerosis (MS) patients into two groups, one of which appears more responsive than the other to standard therapies, researchers said.

In a study of 315 patients with relapsing-remitting MS and 48 with clinically isolated syndrome (a single demyelinating event), those with a transcription profile denoted as type B who were treated with glatiramer acetate (Copaxone) or interferon-beta drugs were significantly less likely to develop a major disease event than those with a type A profile, reported Philip De Jager, MD, PhD, of Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, and colleagues.

"This hazard ratio suggests that [patients with type B] MS are 40% less likely to have a relapse than [type A] MS," De Jager and colleagues wrote. "Stratifying MS subjects into meaningful subsets in this manner has potential for personalizing patient care and for enhancing our understanding of this disease."

They acknowledged, however, that their study had important limitations -- they did not evaluate responsiveness to other MS drugs such as fingolimod (Gilenya) or natalizumab (Tysabri), nor did they include patients with primary or secondary progressive MS.

Scientists are to launch a major study of little-known proteins they believe are a contributing factor to diseases such as dementia and multiple sclerosis.

The team of biologists at the University of Portsmouth have been awarded £600,000 to research the impact on the ageing of the brain and cognitive decline.

The study will focus on a protein known as Kir4.1 which is a key element in controlling special cells in the brain and spinal cord which form myelin, a substance which insulates the brain’s wiring.

A close up image of oligodendrocytes, a protein scientists believe is a contributing factor to diseases such as dementia and multiple sclerosis.

They discovered that the protein is critical in ensuring these cells, known as oligodendrocytes, function well.

The researchers already know that myelin acts as the insulating layer around nerve cells and is essential for rapid conduction of information and when it is damaged this interferes with messages between the brain and other parts of the body.

They are also researching another protein called Gas6 which they have discovered can stimulate oligodendrocyte production and survival.

The team’s combined research will focus on signals in the brain which stimulate the growth and regeneration of oligodendrocytes and myelin.

Newswise — COLUMBUS, Ohio – Scientists may be one step closer to predicting the uncertain course of relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (MS), a disease that can lay dormant for months or years, thanks to the discovery of a unique genetic marker. The marker, detailed by researchers in the August edition of The Journal of Immunology, is the first of its kind to be directly linked to MS.

The study, supported by funding from both the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Ohio State Center for Clinical and Translational Science (CCTS) was conducted by a team of scientists with The Ohio State University using blood samples from patients with MS, as well as mouse models. Researchers uncovered the molecule miR-29, while working to identify a biomarker in the blood that could indicate if a patient had an ongoing inflammatory response, such as MS.

“Our research was inspired by the knowledge gap that existed between microRNA and MS, as well as the unpredictable nature of MS,” said Kristen Smith, Ph.D., principal investigator, who received a “mentorship grant” to conduct the study alongside senior scientists at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center. “By identifying a unique marker associated with MS, we hope to inspire a relatively noninvasive test that could identify and predict the course of the disease, helping clinicians tailor therapies to disease progression.”

A group in Boston recently studied the difference between the disease course and demographics in people with adult-onset multiple sclerosis and late-onset MS (MS diagnosed after age 50), in a study published in Multiple Sclerosis Journal.

Researchers examined the records of 4273 people with MS and found:

7.96% had onset after age 50, 1.33% after age 60.

People who were diagnosed after age 50 were more likely to have progressive MS; incidence of progressive MS was 6.9% in those diagnosed under 50 years, 25.6% in people diagnosed between 50 and 60, and 35.1% in people over 60 years of age.

Men who are diagnosed before age 50 tend to progress to EDSS 6.0 (needing assistance to walk) faster than women in this group; however, men and women diagnosed after age 50 progress to EDSS 6.0 at the same rate, meaning that women progress faster after menopause.

A cellular signature seen in the blood of multiple sclerosis patients may help determine their likelihood of relapse, potentially influencing which therapy physicians prescribe, a study found.

Differences in patients’ blood cells delineated them into two groups, one with a 40 percent lower risk of relapse, according to research today in the journal Science Translational Medicine. The findings eventually could help doctors determine whether to prescribe a drug such as Biogen Idec Inc. (BIIB)’s Avonex, which is moderately effective with fewer side effects, or its Tysabri, an aggressive therapy with greater safety issues, said Philip De Jager, a neurologist at Harvard Medical School in Boston and a study author.

EAST SYRACUSE -- The Multiple Sclerosis Resources (MSR) of Central New York hosted an educational forum on medical marijuana Wednesday night in East Syracuse.

The medical marijuana bill (AB 7347) proposed that marijuana should be legal for medical purposes. The bill passed the New York State Assembly but Albany was unable to come to an agreement about the legislation. It would have allowed certified patients to possess up to 2.5 ounces of marijuana.

In a letter about the forum, Board President of MSR Bill Jackson writes that "it is a shame" that MS patients are forced to risk arrest to purchase drugs which help them to live and work comfortably.

"Many of our clients already are using marijuana to lessen pain, deal with spasticity and many other physical issues," wrote Jackson. "Keep in mind that MS is not the only disease that marijuana shows results in, but it can help cancer patients, those affected by AIDS, and certainly for persons at the end of life."

Dr. Sunil Kumar Aggarwal, a graduate of the University of Washington School of Medicine, spoke at the forum Wednesday night, which took place at Barbagallo's Restaurant on East Molloy Road in East Syracuse.

The bill states that the legislation is constant with established public policy allowing medical use of other controlled substances, such as morphine and steroids, which are illegal if used for non-medical purposes.

Tuesday, September 25, 2012

We need Advisory
Volunteers for one or more specific tasks. Since we are a National and Global
organization, we’d love to have you involved wherever you might be
geographically.

Our first and
primary target at this time is to seek and receive the interaction of one or
more well-known individuals who have some direct link to MS; whether that
person has MS themselves or is a direct relative of someone with MS. Some
examples include…David Landers, Montel Williams, Jack Osborne, Clay Walker,
Richard Cohen, Ann Romney, Michelle Obama, Alan and David Osmond, Terri Garr, J.K.Rowling’s mother, an ex-wife of Newt Gingrich, Wade Bogg’s sister, Gloria
Estefan’s father, Stone Phillips’ wife, , Lena Horne, Annette Funicello.

We’re hoping
to organize a fundraiser and include this individual or possibly have a taped
interview which can be viewed at a later time and another function. Someone out there must know someone who knows
someone…Let’s act now.

Monday, September 24, 2012

Saturday September 29th, 2012 Paul Pelland, a Londonderry, NH resident and former long distance motorcycle competitor will be kicking off his Endless Road Tour, a million mile journey to raise awareness and funds for Multiple Sclerosis, with nothing less than attempting to set a new world record!

(PRWEB) September 24, 2012

Paul will attempt to be the first person to document riding 1000 miles in under 24 hours on 100 different bikes! The 100 SADDLES-Sore 1000 fundraising event will finish Saturday September 29, 2012 at the annual Fall open house at National Powersports in Pembroke, New Hampshire. All of the proceeds go directly to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.

Multiple Sclerosis is a progressive autoimmune disease that attacks the central nervous system. Currently there is no cure.

To set the record, and in addition to documenting official start and end witnesses and timed receipts, odometer recordings and times, Paul must arrive before 11:00 am. Hopefully he will be just in time to join the spectators and friends already enjoying free food, demo rides, door prizes, and great deals on bikes. The open house is 9:00 am to 4:00 pm. National Powersports is sponsoring the event, and will also donate $100 to MS for each motorcycle sold during this event. Well-wishers, friends and fellow riders who can’t make the event are encouraged to help out by sponsoring one of the motorcycles or some of the miles ridden. Donations are being accepted directly on the National MS Society’s website,

We are looking for men and women, between 18 and 55 years of age, to
take part in a clinical research study looking at whether patients treated with
an investigational drug experience fewer relapses compared with patients who
take a treatment that is already approved for multiple sclerosis (MS), called
Rebif®. All participants will receive either the investigational
drug or Rebif®.

You may be able to help with this researchIF: You have been diagnosed with a relapsing form of MSIF: You have experienced at least two documented relapses
within the past 2 years, or one within the past year.and*Other criteria may apply.

A previous study showed that the investigational drug greatly decreased
the number of relapses, compared with patients who received dummy treatment.

To find out more, or if you are interested in taking part, please
contact:

SYMPTOMS of MS

In multiple sclerosis , damage to the myelin in the central nervous system (CNS), and to the nerve fibers themselves, interferes with the transmission of nerve signals between the brain and spinal cord and other parts of the body. This disruption of nerve signals produces the primary symptoms of MS, which vary depending on where the damage has occurred.

Over the course of the disease, some symptoms will come and go, while others may be more lasting.

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